The circus brings to mind clowns, trained animals, acrobats, trapeze acts and tightrope walkers. For some Chilean transgender people, it's their version of the 'greatest show on earth,' a place where they can be themselves, free of judgment and ridicule, and a place they can call home.

For over a decade, a circus show called Fama -- Spanish for "fame" -- has toured the country performing in modest tents, living as a traveling family, but with unique talent and flair.

Chilean transgender performers can find refuge in the circus, away from the outside world where they are often mocked, and some of them have suffered violent attacks, according to the Associated Press.

"The verbal aggressions and attacks continue, even after the passing of the anti-discrimination law," said Vero, 40, one of the founding members of Fama.

Fama performers don't always play before a full house -- audiences can range from one person to 400 people, and performers earn between $125 and $240 a month, well below Chile's monthly minimum wage of $380. Despite the low pay, the tradeoff is job fulfillment and a low cost of living.

"It's the only work I have. Elsewhere they don't give me work because I am a homosexual," said 34-year-old Sasha.

The circus, which the Chilean transgender group calls their "mobile home," houses eight of the 15 performers.

"Here we give the girls food and a place to stay. A place to live and develop as artists," added Vero.

The group, which consists of only one classic circus act -- a flame thrower, and several musical acts with an abundance of double-entendre jokes, isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves for the circus. The performers handle every detail from setup to dismantling the tent, which has wooden planks used as seating for the audience. Their tent, set up on the dirt, has a capacity for 400 people.

Chile has a tumultuous past regarding homosexual and transgender acceptance -- the country only decriminalized gay sex in 1999, and it continues to experiencehorrendous acts of discrimination.

In Chile, transgender people have been the focus of crime and brutality. Only recently have the legal rights of transgender people in Chile begun to be recognized. A landmark case, spearheaded by Andres Rivera, won the right for transgendered people to legally change their name and sex in 2007.

Despite the legal recognition, the streets of Chile have become very violent for gay and or transgender people. In March 2012, a young gay man named Daniel Zamudio was brutally beaten by a Neo-Nazi band and died later that month. The brutal killing set off a national debate that prompted the Congress to pass a hate crimes law. But while one of Zamudio's attackers was sentenced to life in prison last week, another young man is in a coma fighting for his life from a similar beating.

Movilh (The Homosexual Movement of Integration and Liberation/Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual), a Chilean non-governmental organization that fights for gay rights, said that between 2002 and 2012, there were 837 reported complaints of brutal cases of homophobia and transphobia; 17 of these cases are murders. In the past year, three transsexuals have been murdered, one of whom had her face disfigured with a blowtorch.